9 newborns die within 24 hours in Rajasthan's Kota hospital

Kota: Nine infants died at Kota's JK Lon Hospital in the past 24 hours, officials said on Thursday.

Rajasthan Health Minister Dr Raghu Sharma has ordered a probe in the matter to ascertain the cause of deaths. He said that three of the nine infants were brought dead while three had congenital diseases.

"After I got the news of the death of nine infants at Kota's JK Lon Hospital, I spoke to Medical superintendent and sought a report. According to the report, three of the nine infants were brought dead, three had congenital diseases and three died as milk went into their lungs while breastfeeding," Sharma said.

Speaking on the deaths, SC Dulara, Superintendent, JK Lon Hospital said: "9 infants died at JK Lon Hospital on December 10. Three were brought dead, three had the congenital disease. Two infants were referred from Bundi. One of them had an infection and the other had an infection with a respiratory disorder. One died due to IUGR with refractory hypoglycemia which means that the child's sugar levels dropped significantly and could not be controlled."

JK Lone Hospital is especially dedicated for children and infants. Earlier in January this year, the hospital had made it national headlines after more than 100 infants died in one month.